


Ocean Cold

by MiniRaven



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Mermaid, BAMF Tony Stark, Developing Relationship, Identity Porn, M/M, One Shot, POV Tony Stark, Secret Identity, Transformation, merman tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22754680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniRaven/pseuds/MiniRaven
Summary: Tony Stark; billionaire, hero, merman, goes on a swim after a long day at sea. He finds something in the ice and, upon closer inspection, discovers not all is as it appears.
Relationships: Steve Rogers & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 9
Kudos: 237
Collections: 2020 Captain America/Iron Man Relay Remix





	Ocean Cold

**Author's Note:**

> My submission for remix relay. Thanks go to jani on dicord for the beta. Love you so much!

It’s late when Tony Stark snuck out of the ship’s sleeping quarters and out onto the deck. The Avengers had set anchor for the night. They had searched long and hard, but even heroes need their rest.

Good news for Iron Man. Better news for Tony.

See, only a few people knew that Iron Man was piloted by the infamous Tony Stark. And of that number, even fewer knew of Tony’s unique “physical” needs. No, he wasn’t talking about his proclivity for sex. Yes, he could be talking about the RT device permanently wrapped around his torso, but that wasn’t what Tony was thinking about as he stripped down to his birthday suit in negative temperatures. No, he was thinking about something else.

A need, an itch that had been burning under his skin the second he stepped off dry land. It was a secret he was born with. Something so personal and dangerous that, if discovered, could land his ass first on a dissection table or spirited away to some secret lab hidden far away from civilization while they broke him down to his last molecule.

And after months of being held captive, being squirreled off to some secret facility was the last thing Tony wanted to do.

So he snuck out in the dead of night; quiet as a mouse, RT covered by a dark wetsuit vest as he looked over the edge of the boat.

The ocean looked cold. Glaciers jutted out from the water. Ice floes drifted to and fro across the black surface. Not even the seals wanted to be in the water at this time of night. They’d rather sleep on sheets of ice than go for a late night swim. And yet Tony didn’t have a choice. It was now or never. He just really wasn’t looking forward to jumping in.

But that secret part of him needed to be released. He’d been holding off the change for too long, telling himself ‘now’ wasn’t a good time. Always something to do. Always someone to save. Someone needing his help or someone interrupting him at the worst possible time.

Tony needed this. It didn’t matter how cold the water was. He needed to stretch. He needed to change. After all, this might be the last time he would be able to do it in open waters.

So, with a heavy sigh, Tony hopped up on the ledge. He looked both ways, and when he was sure no one was watching, Tony dove down into the arctic waters.

He went in clean. No splash. No mess. Any diver would be envious of his form. But his pride only lasted a second. Cold water enveloped him, stabbing his exposed skin like a thousand needles. It hurt. Tony gritted his teeth and fought through the bone freezing chill. He just had to be patient. It would all be over soon.

Within seconds, red and gold scales hidden under his skin slipped through his fleshy membrane and covered his entire lower body. His legs fused together, muscles and bones rearranging themselves to form a single, powerful tail. The slight webbing between his toes stretched and grew until they formed a translucent red fin. The gills around his neck fluttered like wings as they stretched to life.

Tony coughed up the last of his air, filling his lungs with ocean water. His shoulders itched under the wetsuit as red and gold scales popped out from under his skin and dotted his dark flesh like freckles all the way down to his now very scaly waist.

Tony’s hands were the last thing to change. His nails grew until the tips formed gentle points perfect for digging or catching prey. Red webbing, hidden tight in the valley of his fingers, turned soft. Tony ran his fingers through the current a few times allowing the webbing to relax and stretch back out like a fan.

Tony let out a satisfied sigh as he sunk into the feeling of sea water filling his lungs once again. God, it had been too long since he had done this.

He reached for the zipper at his neck and pulled it down just enough to check on the modified RT device. He tapped his long nail on the casing and held his breath. No sea water leaking into the machinery. No cracks from the pressure of the ocean. It just hummed along like it did on land, performing the one job it was made to do; keeping Tony alive.

Tony let out a sigh of relief. It worked. He was ninety nine percent sure that the RT device would be able to withstand oceanic pressure, but there was always that one percent chance that it wouldn’t.

And now that he was sure that he was safe, he could take his time. Stretch his fins for however long he liked. Swim for however long he pleased. No more making do with tiny bathtubs or chlorinated pools. Tonight, Tony could enjoy the ocean like the merman he was.

Tony grinned. He let out an ecstatic whoop and dove deep into the artic water. Deeper than any human could go without assistance. He followed invisible currents, swimming in and out of their strong waters with ease. He darted around glaciers and icebergs, taunting their sharp, cold edges with a cocky flick of his tail. He swam with a pod of belugas and chased after the occasional fish. Not for sustenance, but because he could. Because no one would judge him. Because it was fun.

Eventually, time ran out. The full moon was sinking into the west and the barest hints of daylight began to kiss the eastern sky. The Avengers would be waking up soon and Iron Man would be expected to join them for the morning meeting.

But not Tony Stark. Never Tony Stark.

Which was fine. It didn’t bother him. Didn’t matter that his teammates thought Stark was a right bastard. They thought Iron Man was a hero, a team player, a good guy. So what if they didn’t know Iron Man and Tony Stark were the same person? Made it easier for him to keep his secrets. Keep his distance. Keep the world from knowing a creature like _him_ even existed.

It was for the best, right?

Tony shook the thought from his head. He didn’t have time to think about that now. He had to focus on getting back to the ship and making himself presentable.

He started swimming back to the ship, darting behind the occasional ice floe or glacier to help hide his presence from the ship’s radar. But just as the ship’ anchor was coming into view, Tony spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Something small. Something blue. Something that didn’t belong in the ocean.

It wasn’t the same dark blue that colored the arctic tundra. No. Even this deep in the water, Tony could see it’s a darker blue. Almost navy. And the shape, he can’t make it out too well, but something about it felt so familiar and yet wrong at the same time. Whatever it was, whatever was trapped in the ice, it didn’t belong here.

Tony swam down, prepared to push long forgotten garbage to the surface. But when it finally came into view, he gasped.

There, perfectly frozen in time, was the legendary Captain America. Bright red boots were tangled in a military green parachute. The red, white, and blue of his uniform had faded over time, but the fabric looked as strong and as sturdy as the day it came off the line. The white star that stretched across the width of his broad, beautiful chest sparkled in the early morning moonlight. His lips and skin were as pale and as perfect as freshly fallen snow, while his golden hair haloed around head making him look like an angel descending down from heaven.

“Wow,” Tony whispered, unable to resist pressing a hand to the ice. “You’re beautiful.”

Captain America didn’t answer. Death by drowning made it hard to respond.

Tony swam around the iceberg and saw a WW2 bomber plane also trapped in the ice. Nazi Germany by the looks of it. Large. Probably carrying enough bombs to level a city. Poor guy must have died in the line of duty to bring it down. Quite a feat for one man. He didn’t deserve to go out like that.

Tony’s mind immediately shifted to thoughts about what to do next. He needed to tell someone about this. Port authorities legally needed to know about the wreck, but they’d ask too many questions. He could tell the Avengers or SHIELD if he was desperate. Didn’t matter who found him. Just so long as someone other than Tony knew that Captain America’s remains had been found. His family and friends had a right to know what had happened. More importantly, Tony needed someone else to know for his own state of mind. Yes, he had to protect his secrets, but he couldn’t stand the thought of leaving an American hero like Captain America trapped in the ice. It just wasn’t right.

Tony swam around the iceberg, debating how many hints Iron Man could drop before the Avengers started getting suspicious. But as he circled around to the front, something changed. The water hadn’t turned warmer or colder. Something was just… wrong.

Tony scanned the open waters. No predators. No fish. Nothing out of the ordinary to cause him unease. But when he turned back to look at the ice, what he saw made it feel like time came to a standstill.

From within the ice, a pair of ocean blue eyes stared into his soul. A small breath passed Captain America’s lips, through it was hardly strong enough to be called a breath. His eyes were hazy and unfocused, but his gaze never faltered as Tony flitted back and forth in the water. The captain looked at Tony almost as if he could see him. His half-lidded eyes pulling Tony in like a silent siren’s song, asking him for help. Begging Tony not to turn away.

Tony never could say “no” to a pretty blond.

“Don’t worry,” Tony said, forgetting the legates of disturbing an unreported wreak. “I’ll get you out of there.”

Captain America let out another breath and his eyes fluttered closed.

Tony shrank back. He couldn’t believe it. Captain America was alive. Captain America was alive!

Oh no.

Captain America was alive and he was freezing to death.

There wasn’t a moment to spare. Forget the port authorities. Forget the Avengers. Forget SHIELD. Captain America was alive and Tony needed to get him out. Now.

Tony charged forward and banged at the ice with his powerful tail. He attacked the small glacier over and over, but the ice was too thick and too old to be broken by such simple means. Something else, something else had to break the ice. Why didn’t he bring any tools with him? Why had he decided to leave his suit shipside? All he needed was to hook it up to the RT, hit it with a hard enough blast, and then…

Tony pulled down the neck of his wetsuit. The RT device hummed along just as it should. Thick, cold metal insulating his chest. A literal shield to protect his vitals. Untested as to how much damage or pressure it could take. And he was about to test it. On an iceberg. On purpose. Stars above. This was going to hurt.

Tony swam away, furiously running though calculations in his head. A little over five meters of solid ice needing X amounts of force to break. He knew his average acceleration, but that was before the RT weighed him down. Would affect his mass, for better and for worse. But would it be enough to break through the ice? No. Wrong question. It had to be enough. It had to be.

Tony spun around. He glared at the glacier like it was just another monster of the week Iron Man had to deal with. Then, he charged.

He swarm as fast as his fins could go. He glided along the current, using them to propel him forward. And just as he was about to plant face first in a block of ice, Tony made a sharp turn and slammed the back of the RT into the ice.

A loud crack ripped through the water. Tony gasped as the shockwave ran right though him, knocking the air out of his lungs. He grabbed his head as his entire body shook. He tried to push past the ringing in his ears, ignore the bone deep vibrations running down his back, but it was hard. His teeth hurt. He sank down, hoping that the oceanic pressure would make it hurt less.

Eventually, the pain dissipated. He looked up. There, right where the ice was weakest was a large crack.

Tony’s heart leapt in his chest. He swam up and dug his claws into the crack.

He pulled and pulled, putting every ounce of strength he could muster into breaking the ice. Eventually, the iceberg let out a low groan. The fissure grew deeper and longer. Tony pulled at the crack one last time and the whole thing fell apart in his hands.

The iceberg shattered like a mirror. Fragments broke off and fell down to the dark ocean floor. But one particular fragment remained intact.

Tony swam down underneath Captain America’s icy coffin and pushed it up toward the surface.

He’d have his work cut out for him when he finally appeared topside. How was he supposed to explain a random Captain America appearing out of nowhere? Would he have to explain it? Iron Man could alert the crew of something floating in the water. But what if they thought he was dead and just left him in the water? How would Iron Man convince them to drag a frozen body on board?

Didn’t matter. Tony could figure that out later once he was dry and his scales were gone. But one thing was for sure, Captain America was finally coming home. And nobody, not even Captain America could know that Tony Stark; genius, playboy, millionaire, merman was the one who found him.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Fractured Moonlight on the Sea](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22294183) by [EachPeachPearPlum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EachPeachPearPlum/pseuds/EachPeachPearPlum)




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